The Significance of Rahu 

Rahu is one among the nine well known astronomical bodies in Vedic astrology, it is quite different from the other bodies. It is the one responsible for shadow creation and eclipses and it is also known as the king of meteors. In the case of the astrological wheel Rahu is referred to as the Moon’s North Node. Rahu stands for strong unreasonable feelings, untrue thinking, and exotic actions. It enhances the central characteristics of the planet that it belongs to. Also it may bring sudden losses or profits differently depending on its location into a person’s birth chart. Rahu’s impact fuels a surge of theories and it often leads to a clash of aspirations and anxieties within the people.

The Significance of Ketu

Ketu is generally called a “shadow” planet. It is believed that it has a tremendous impact on human lives and the whole creation as well. Ketu, the South Node of Moon, is also viewed as the most malefic planet in astrology. It becomes an icon of spirituality, freedom from earthly temptations, and ultimately freedom from material desires. Ketu holds the past life experiences, the subconscious and the intuitive sphere. It is about knowing, seeing, and accepting things that may transcend rationality and getting to the knowledge that may be beyond normal wisdom. The Ketu’s influence in a birth chart may express the ones’ dissociation from the certain life domain or the incompleteness of secrets of past incarnations.

The interconnectedness of Rahu and Ketu

Even though Ketu and Rahu are completely different entities they  are part of the same body. The interconnectedness of Rahu and Ketu can be translated as lunar nodes. They become a crossing place when the motion of the Moon overlaps with the ecliptic, (appearing path of the Sun). Rahu is thus the North Node, while Ketu will be the South Node. They have karmic influences connected to past and future lifetimes, and they are vividly considered in Vedic astrology where they are categorized by the purposes of life and destiny path of a person.

The Legend behind Rahu and Ketu:

The legend of Rahu and Ketu has its roots in the great war that took place between the Asuras(demons) and Devas(Gods). One of the major events that took place in between the battle was of the “Samudra Manthan ”. The devas fought under the leadership of Lord Brahma who instructed them to churn the sea which later would lead them to acquire Amrit. The acquiring of Amrit however was no easy task. The lord of the snakes, Vasuki, was turned into a rope, a slope named Madranchal was a rotating platform. Lord Vishnu sat in the position of a base and then the rotating process started. It is here that poison came out and Lord Shiva got his name of “Neelkanth” due to the poison that he swallowed that led to his throat becoming blue. Later on when Dhanwantri turned up with the Amrit the devas and the asuras became frantic. It was at this time Lord Vishnu played his wits and came up with his Mohini avatar. Mohini avatar was that of a beautiful woman who could charm anyone with her otherworldly beauty. The Asuras and the Devas got possessed by her beauty. They did as she was instructing them to. She made them sit in two distinct columns. However, she distributed the Amrit only to the devas. One of the Asuras saw through this trap and sat amongst the devas and even drank Amrit. The minute Chandra (Moon) and Surya (Sun), who was sitting adjacent to him, saw that he was an Asura, informed Mohini about this. Then Lord Vishnu turned to his original self and using his Sudarshan Chakra cut his head off the Asura’s head.However, despite the head being cut, the head lived on. This living head was called Rahu. The remaining body was called Ketu. As revenge they covered the Sun and the moon to cause grahan(eclipses).